garygid wrote:Wow, that is really "Giving Power to the People"!
Makes me wonder if the charger in the USA LEAF will draw 16 amps, or just 15 amps (if "offered" 16 or more amps by the "EVSE", of course)?
Seems unlikely that Nissan would "adjust" the on-board charger differently for each country.
So, for now, I am guessing that it will "eat" (draw) 16 amps at (almost) any voltage, if given the chance to do so.
There are three important (input) parameters for any charger - input voltage, input current and the product of the two (assuming they are in phase), which gives the number of kW.
The charger will have a maximum input voltage (say 230V here) which is limited by the voltage the electronics in the charger can withstand. Then, there is a maximum input current - say 10 or 16 A, given by the limit of the electronics, but also by such things as the cable and especially the electricity plug and socket.
These chargers have advanced microcomputer controlled electronics, and the microcomputer can trivially be programmed to not draw more than 10, 13 or 16 A. This would mean that the batteries are charged with 2.3 kW up to 3.68 kW. It is not difficult for them (in fact it is a legal requirement) to make sure the UK chargers are limited to 13 A if they use a 13 A plug.
Of course, if you have only 110V (like in the US), you would need more than twice the current to get the same power - meaning massive cables and plugs for 3.6 kW.
What would be the cost for replacement cable ?
